Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 3 November 2022 (HCWS354), what progress they have made, and what steps they still plan to take, to resolve outstanding issues in relation to the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago, including those relating to the return of former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK and Mauritius have held four rounds of constructive negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago. The Foreign Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS645) of 17 March 2023 stated that the UK and Mauritius had welcomed the progress to date and agreed to continue negotiations. Negotiations are being held in private, so we cannot speculate on possible outcomes nor pre-empt their conclusions.We recognise this is an important issue for many Chagossians. While the negotiations are between the UK and Mauritius, we are engaging with the Chagossian communities as negotiations progress.

Myanmar: Politics and Government

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government when was the last joint analysis of conflict and stability assessment with international partners carried out for Myanmar, and in particular, for Karen; and how they are addressing the findings.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK finalised a refreshed Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) in Myanmar in March 2022. The JACS provides a detailed assessment of the drivers of conflict, instability and atrocities in Myanmar, including in Karen state. The JACS underpins the UK's strategic approach to conflict and identity-based violence in Myanmar, including our understanding of drivers of conflict and human rights violations in Karen. The JACS recognises, in particular, the role that ethno-religious nationalism played in fuelling widespread violence against groups in Myanmar, including the Karen.

Myanmar: Churches

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar regarding any recent attacks on churches in Karen, Myanmar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the ongoing persecution of faith leaders and ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Karen state. We condemn all identity-based violence, including reports that religious sites are being targeted by military airstrikes. In December 2022, the UN Security Council passed the first ever resolution on the situation in Myanmar, led by the UK. The Resolution demands an end to violence, stresses the need for the protection of minority groups and calls for the immediate release for all those arbitrarily detained.

Department of Health and Social Care

Peers: Correspondence

Baroness Wheeler: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Markham on 23 February where he stated that they will "write to all the NHS chief executives" (HL Deb col 1751), when that letter will be sent; and how they will monitor progress on services restoration following that.

Lord Markham: On 22 March in answer to a Parliamentary Question on stroke rehabilitation and community services, I updated the House that I had written to Amanda Pritchard, the CEO of NHS England, on the issue of returning repurposed physiotherapy rehabilitation spaces to their original use, to support physiotherapists to best provide services that aid patient recovery. As a result, NHS England has asked National Health Service organisations to evaluate how space is being used, and to ensure that adequate space is allocated to functions such as physiotherapy, so that such services can operate efficiently. I will request regular updates on progress.

Medical Records: Children

Lord Lucas: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in light of the guidance on the NHS website under "Using linked profiles to access services for someone else",they are of the opinion that an 11-year-old child is able in all instances to deny their parents access to their medical records; and, if not, (1) what tests they expect a GP to apply in determining what information to withhold from parents, (2) whether this includes a test of Gillick competence, and (3) why these tests are not specified in the above notice so as to ensure that the process is transparent.

Lord Markham: The guidance states that when a child is aged between 11 and 16, they may be able to deny their parents proxy access to their online if the GP surgery agrees that is appropriate, and it is not intended that in all instances that would be appropriate. A GP surgery should have processes in place for determining whether a child aged between 11 and 16 years is competent to make this decision.Specific tests are not described in the above guidance as each case must be considered individually with the interests of the child being paramount. There are no set questions to assess Gillick competency, but the professional bodies have guidance on this and the Frazer Guidelines.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 5 April (HL 5936), what clinical evaluation they have commissioned of pre-exposure prophylaxis after 31 May 2022.

Lord Markham: Further to the reply we provided on 5 April, outlined below is the clinical advice commissioned on pre-exposure prophylaxis, including tixagevimab plus cilgavimab (known as ‘Evusheld’) after 31 May 2022.During June 2022 Ministers received advice on the prophylactic antibody treatment tixagevimab plus cilgavimab (Evusheld), including clinical advice based on the report by the Research to Access Pathway for Investigational Drugs for COVID-19 collaboration (RAPID C-19) of 30 May 2022 regarding Evusheld, along with options for further evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).On 28 June, Ministers agreed to refer Evusheld to NICE for a full appraisal of its clinical and cost effectiveness as pre-exposure prophylaxis, with the formal referral letter to NICE sent on 10 August. NICE published the draft scope for the appraisal on 29 July.RAPID C-19 continued to monitor the available data and were requested to consider observational evidence from other countries. Its report dated 1 September 2022 concluded that, the quality of the data was insufficient to warrant action to progress to consideration of an access policy as an interim measure before NICE technology appraisal, there was uncertainty that tixagevimab plus cilgavimab would prevent symptomatic COVID-19 caused by the current Omicron variants in the vulnerable population who would potentially be eligible for this treatment and there was insufficient evidence to proceed to patient access in the current pandemic context.The Department also requested advice through the Therapeutics Clinical Review Panel (TCRP) on the potential cohorts for pre-exposure prophylaxis. This advice was commissioned early in 2022 and initially helped inform the advice to ministers on Evusheld before being shared with NICE to support its ongoing appraisal of Evusheld. On 31 January 2023, the Panel considered an updated report taking into account more recent evidence.The NICE appraisal is ongoing, with draft guidance made available on 16 February 2023 and final draft guidance made available on 5 May 2023. Final guidance is expected on 14 June 2023.

Department for Education

Overseas Students

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Universities UK International and the Higher Education Policy Institute, The costs and benefits of international higher education students in the UK,published on 16 May,which suggested a total net benefit of £37.4 billion to the UK economy associated with international students during the years 2018–19 and 2021–22; and what plans they have to further support universities to recruit internationally.

Baroness Barran: The government recognises the significant contribution that international students make to the UK higher education (HE) sector and to the UK economy as a whole.Attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for our universities, delivers growth at home and supports the creation of more places for UK students.As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, outlined in her speech at the Education World Forum on 8 May 2023, the department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running by attracting more than 600,000 international students. International mobility helps us build global relationships and makes an important contribution to UK science and research, supporting the cutting edge of global discoveries and emerging technologies.The department wants to continue to attract students from around the world to benefit from British HE. That is why, on 23 May 2023, the department reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy, which is vital for ensuring that the UK remains competitive in the global HE market.

Home Office

Mike Veale

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 22 May(HL Deb cols 599–602), when the misconduct case against Mr Mike Veale is expected to conclude.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Arrangements concerning the establishment of Mike Veale’s misconduct hearing are a matter for the Cleveland PCC, and the management of the hearing itself is the responsibility of the appointed independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC). Whilst the Government is aware that Mr Veale has been referred to a hearing, misconduct proceedings are rightfully conducted independently of Government, meaning we do not hold information including any determined timescales for holding or concluding a specific misconduct hearing.